Boom town.
Festivals devoted to creative music and opera bust out this week in Manhattan and Brooklyn—plus recommendations for live new-music events Jan. 7–14.
It’s so long ago now that it feels like ancient history, but I originally moved to New York City with a head full of Francis Davis, Gary Giddins, John Litweiler, Howard Mandel, Kevin Whitehead, and their ilk—and a determination to join their ranks. Yes, I came here intending to become a Major Jazz Critic. I served a brief, happy stint as assistant editor of Jazziz at the end of Larry Blumenfeld’s reign, and also contributed to Jazz Times, Down Beat, and the late, lamented Signal to Noise before returning to my concert-music roots.
Knowing this, you won’t be surprised to learn that like clockwork every January, I make a New Year’s resolution to get out and hear more live jazz. What’s different this year is that I’ve already begun to follow through. After a fantastic but all-too-brief performance by Kyle Abraham and A.I.M at the Whitney Museum of American Art last Friday night left me and a friend hungry for more, we wandered east to the Glass Box Theater at The New School, current home of John Zorn’s musical laboratory, The Stone.
There, we caught a terrific set of elegantly muscular compositions by Spanish pianist Marta Sanchez, who was playing with bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris—the same rhythm section featured on Perpetual Void, her rightly acclaimed 2024 CD on the Intakt label.
I’d spun that disc enough times to recognize the tunes Sanchez called. Live, though, I savored the tight coordination between the leader’s left hand and the bassist’s nimble runs like never before—the kind of thing you tend to notice more in the actual presence of live performers. The Glass Box vibe is strictly utilitarian, but the audience comes to listen closely. No hassle, no hustle, and the price is eminently affordable.
That last point came to mind again over the weekend when I read some social-media chatter in response to “The Ghosts in the Machine,” the Harper’s article by Liz Pelly based on her new book of Spotify revelations, Mood Machine—which is out today, by the way.
In a nutshell: After numerous posters asserted live music as the natural antidote to Spotify’s soulless commerce, a few responded that even for many music lovers, a night for two at the Village Vanguard can be prohibitively expensive when time, travel, and other fringe costs are factored in.
Yes, the experience is priceless—I would gladly hit the Vanguard weekly if I could, and other spots besides. But money matters, too.
Look through the recommendations I’ve compiled below – and those shared by my comrades at Dada Strain, Extended Techniques, and Lament for a Straight Line, as well – and you’ll see that New York City has even more than usual to offer this week for creative-music aficionados and head-spun tourists alike, thanks to bounteous Winter Jazzfest gigs stacked atop an eternally buzzing scene.
Obviously festival passes aren’t cheap, but you get a ton of return on your investment. But notice as well, please, that several of this week’s options are extremely budget-friendly. It’s always good to be reminded that this extravagantly costly city is still full of first-class musical experiences at wholly affordable prices. Go out and get you some.
The Night After Night Watch.
Concerts listed in Eastern Standard Time.
NOTAFLOF = no one turned away for lack of funds.
7
Kris Davis Trio
Village Vanguard
178 Seventh Ave. S.; Greenwich Village
Tuesday, Jan. 7–Sunday, Jan. 12 at 8 & 10pm; $40 plus one-drink minimum
villagevanguard.com
Getting the biggest week in New York City jazz underway, pianist, composer, bandleader, and label curator Kris Davis descends into the city’s most storied basement for a week-long stint with bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Johnathan Blake, the lithe trio heard on Davis’s most recent album, Run the Gauntlet. (Order online and save $10 on 10pm sets Tuesday–Thursday.) Serious pianophiles should also plan to be here next week, when Fred Hersch will take flight with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kush Abadey.
8
Mary Halvorson
Glass Box Theatre, The New School
55 W. 13th St., Greenwich Village
Wednesday, Jan. 8–Saturday, Jan. 11 at 8:30pm; $20 cash only
thestonenyc.com
The innovative guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson returns to The New School for a new Stone series that opens with back-to-back duos with trumpeters: Peter Evans on Wednesday and Ambrose Akinmusire on Thursday. Friday’s performance features a quartet with vocalist Alex Koi (doubling on electronics), bassist Henry Fraser, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. Saturday brings a reunion of Sterno, an early Halvorson outfit featuring trumpeter Brett Deschenes, pianist Dan St. Clair, and bassist Nat Baldwin.
9
PROTOTYPE
Various venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn
Thursday, Jan. 9–Sunday, Jan. 19; times and prices vary
prototypefestival.org
Jointly created by Beth Morrison Projects and HERE in 2013, PROTOTYPE instantly proved the most industrious, ingenious, and invaluable producers of new opera and music-theater works this city has ever known. This year’s series opens with Eat the Document, an adaptation by composer John Glover and librettist Kelley Rourke of Dana Spiotta’s novel about former political radicals forced to build new lives in hiding (opens Jan. 9). Also arriving this week are Black Lodge, a live multimedia experience by composer David T. Little and librettist Anne Waldman suffused with mysterious impulses à la William S. Burroughs and David Lynch (opens Jan. 11), and Positive Vibration Nation, a rock-guaguanco opera by Sol Ruiz (opens Jan. 11). Still to come next week are Night Reign, a staged concert by Arooj Aftab (opens Jan. 15), and In a Grove, a hauntingly elusive adaptation by composer Christopher Cerrone and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann of the Ryūnosuke Akutagawa story that inspired Akira Kurosawa’s essential film Rashomon (opens Jan. 16).
NYC NOW Mini-fest 2025
Greenwich House Music School
46 Barrow St.; Greenwich Village
Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7pm; $20
Eventbrite
“Mini-fest” this may be called, but there’s a lot going on here. Not officially a part of Winter Jazzfest, this little showcase is offering gratis access to Jazzfest, APAP, and Jazz Congress registrants. The rest of us will pay an extremely modest entry fee to catch three dynamic acts. Vocalist Aubrey Johnson opens—and she’ll also jump up with Jamie Baum and her Septet+, since Johnson’s on Baum’s latest release, What Times Are These. Also featured on that album is guitarist Brad Shepik, whose new band with violinist Layale Chaker shares its name with his impressive recent album, Human Activity.
Ben Wendel’s BaRcoDe
The Jazz Gallery
1158 Broadway, 5th floor; Midtown East
Thursday, Jan. 9 & Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 & 9:30pm; $40–$50, livestream $20
jazzgallery.org
Saxophonist, composer, and Kneebody co-founder Ben Wendel revives a hugely successful 2023 Jazz Gallery-commissioned project for a series celebrating this vital creative-music laboratory’s 30th anniversary. The hypnotically grooving BaRcoDe surrounds the leader with four world-class mallet percussionists: Patricia Brennan, Simon Moullier, Joel Ross, and Juan Diego Villalobos. If you can’t attend in person, livestream tickets are available.
Winter Jazzfest
Various venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn
Thursday, Jan. 9–Wednesday, Jan. 15; times and prices vary
winterjazzfest.com
Established as an upstart concern in 2005, Winter Jazzfest swings into its 20th year as the city’s premier creative-music celebration of artistry and community. Highlights include Terri Lyne Carrington’s We Insist! 2025 (Thu. 9); performances by Ganavya, Riley Mulherkar, Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith, Air Legacy Trio, Josh Johnson, and Jenny Scheinman's All-Species Parade during the Manhattan marathon (Fri. 10); appearances by Isaiah Collier, Darius Jones, the Matthew Shipp Trio, Arooj Aftab, and a killer Dada Strain showcase during the Brooklyn marathon (Sat. 11); a bold Alternative Guitar Summit show (Sun. 12); and a celebration of Strata-East, a storied indie label ahead of its time, featuring co-founder Charles Tolliver (Mon. 13). Ganavya returns to end the festival with her take on the Tuareg guitar stylings of Les Filles de Illighadad at Roulette (Jan. 15).
10
SydeBoob Duo
MITU580
580 Sackett St., #Unit A – Ground Fl.; Brooklyn
Friday, Jan. 10 & Saturday, Jan. 11 at 6:30pm; $25, students $10, sex workers free
For audience members age 18 and over
eventbrite.com
Sydeboob Duo, the arrestingly named project of soprano Anna Elder and flutist Sarah Steranka, mounts an especially elaborate multi-act presentation called Operator. Billed as “a theatrical multimedia concert inspired by sex positivity, queer freedom, female empowerment through the lens of sex work as work,” the program includes new pieces by Elder, Curtis Rumrill, Anthony R. Green, Liz Gre, Nathan Hall, and Michael Genese; an opening set by vocalist-aerialist Heather Michele Meyer and members of Hot Fix Sideshow; plus local kink vendors, audio erotica, and interviews with sex workers.
11
Linda May Han Oh + Michael Mayo
The Jazz Gallery
1158 Broadway, 5th floor; Midtown East
Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 & 9:30pm; $35–$45, livestream $20
jazzgallery.org
This complementary double bill involves an impressive show of teamwork from bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh, whose 2023 album, The Glass Hours, features soaring vocals by Sara Serpa. Here, Oh shares a stage and a band with bright young singer Michael Mayo—whose effervescent 2024 album, Fly, featured Oh on bass. And Serpa’s here, too, so it seems safe to expect some perfect harmony.
12
Spencer Zahn Quartet
Bar LunÀtico
486 Halsey St.; Brooklyn
Sunday, Jan. 12 at 9 & 10:15pm; $10 suggested donation
barlunatico.com
Bassist Spencer Zahn has covered a vast span of musical territory in recent outings: airy jazz compositions on his memorable 2020 album Sunday Painter; loose-limbed free-rock flights with Chris Forsyth and Dave Harrington; a dreamy partnership with R&B singer Dawn Richard, and even an album-length fantasia inspired by Harry Styles. For this enticing Sunday night hang in Bed-Stuy, Zahn’s playing with ace saxophonists Alfredo Colón and Morgan Guerin and guitarist Kirk Schoenherr.
13
Another DMG Guitar Fest
Downtown Music Gallery
13 Monroe St.; Lower East Side
Monday, Jan. 13 at 6:30pm; free admission
downtownmusicgallery.com
The generous free live offerings at creative-music record palace Downtown Music Gallery fly just under the radar, understandable given an intimate space just off the beaten path. Still, bookings here are nothing to sleep on, and this six-string festival is proof. The action gets underway at 6:30pm with guitarists Chris Cochrane and Gian Perez and wind player Stan Zenkov. Jon Madof follows at 7:30pm, leading his punchy trio with bassist Yoshie Fruchter and drummer Nate Rappaport. Last but not least, clarinetist Ben Goldberg fronts a quartet featuring Spencer Hoefert on guitar and Luke Bergman on pedal steel, with Hamir Atwal on drums.
14
Tim Berne
Lowlands Bar
543 3rd Ave., Brooklyn
Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 9pm; pass-the-hat
instagram.com/berneornot
Pretty much every band saxophonist and composer Tim Berne assembles gets a catchy name sooner or later… over the years we’ve seen Caos Totale, Bloodcount, Paraphrase, Big Satan, Science Friction, Snake Oil, and more. His current spry trio with guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi and drummer Tom Rainey appears to have been christened Capotosta; whatever it’s called, the band has a fierce new album, Yikes Too, arriving Jan. 17 on CD and double vinyl.
More vital directories of new-music destinations:
Find even more events in Night After Night Watch: The Master List, here.
Photographs by Steve Smith, except where indicated.